36 - Council Directive 1999/31/EC of 26 April 1999 on the landfill of waste (OJ L 182 16.07.1999 p. 1)

Summary

Editorial note

Directive 1999/31 of 26 April 1999 on the landfill of waste aims to provide for measures, procedures and guidance to prevent or reduce as far as possible negative effects of the landfill of waste on the environment, in particular on surface water, groundwater, soil, air and human health and on the global environment by way of stringent operational and technical requirements on the waste and landfills (Article 1). The Directive defines, inter alia, the different categories of waste (waste, municipal waste, hazardous waste, non-hazardous waste and inert waste) and applies to all landfills, defined as waste disposal sites for the deposit of waste onto or into land (i.e. underground) (Article 2). The Directive applies to any landfill as defined in Article 2(g) and some exceptions to the scope of its applications are provided (Article 3). Each landfill is classified in one of three classes: landfills for hazardous waste; landfills for non-hazardous waste; landfills for inert waste (Article 4). Member States are required to set up a national strategy for the implementation of the reduction of biodegradable waste going into landfills. This strategy should include measures to achieve the specific reduction of the total amount of biodegradable waste going into landfills within specified time frames (Article 5). The Directive specifies types of waste that are not acceptable in landfills (Article 5(3)). Member States are to ensure that only waste that has been subject to treatment is landfilled (with the exception of inert waste for which treatment is not feasible) (Article 6(a)).